


Speaking on My Behalf

by Freedom_Shamrock



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Post-Reveal Pre-Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24345982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock
Summary: After the reveal, Adrien and Marinette decided it was in their best interest to share an apartment. They are best friends in and out of the supersuits; they both want to be more, but are terrified of messing up their dynamic. Carrying a miraculous prevents a lot of illnesses, but it can't protect Adrien from his allergy triggered sore throat and laryngitis. Fortunately, Plagg is happy to speak on his behalf. And that can't possibly go wrong.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Plagg & Tikki, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Plagg
Comments: 144
Kudos: 475





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SaijSpellhart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaijSpellhart/gifts).



> SaijSpellhart [shared this idea over on Tumblr](https://saijspellhart.tumblr.com/post/617143281313349632/stupid-idea-alert), and granted me permission to play with it.

"All right," Marinette said, handing Adrien the steaming mug. "One Cheng family, top secret laryngitis treatment. Careful, it's hot." She could smell the fresh lemon juice as it wafted in her face.

Adrien snorted ruefully, grasping the mug carefully before slumping back into the couch.

"He says, thank you," Plagg offered helpfully from his place sprawled in his holder's ultra messy bed head.

Adrien smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I'm just sorry I can't do more to help you," Marinette said, feeling bad. This was his first real illness since they'd decided it made more sense for Chat Noir and Ladybug to share an apartment. It would limit the risk of anyone else figuring out their identities the way they had. The miraculous were excellent for preventing colds and illness, but apparently they didn't really impact allergies. The warm spring had been brutal on her partner and close friend. Tikki would point out that he was also Marinette's first and only love (or strongly imply it in her look and point it out once they were alone together), but she was asleep in her nest in Marinette's room.

Adrien shook his head and waved one hand as if to push her worry away.

"There's only so much even  **you** can do, Buggy," Plagg offered. "He gets that."

Adrien vigorously nodded his agreement with his kwami.

"And to be fully honest," the black cat of destruction continued, "he wouldn't have gotten half this kind of treatment back at the mansion." His face squished up in a way that Marinette had come to learn was disgust. "His schedule would've been cleared, partly anyway, and he'd be abandoned in that compensation-chamber-of-shitty-parenting that his father called a bedroom."

Adrien frowned, looking petulant while he made indignant shushing noises at his kwami.

Marinette moved closer, scooping up the book and laptop from the ottoman near the couch, so she could take a seat there. She'd always felt Gabriel's cold nature ran into neglectful, if not full-on abusive, territory, but Adrien was quick to change the subject when things got too close to discussing his family life. "Nathalie doesn't have much of a bedside manner, huh?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. It was amazing just what he could express without his voice, and it was no wonder he was loving the acting classes he'd snuck into his schedule.

"Well you don't live there anymore, and we Dupain-Cheng folk do not believe in allowing those who are ill or uncomfortable suffer alone." She reached out to run her fingertips over his cheek, pleased when he closed his eyes and hummed happily. "I'll be checking on you regularly, and I won't be any farther away than the other room, so just send Plagg if you need anything, okay?"

His gorgeous green eyes fluttered open and he gazed softly at her.

"Yeah, yeah," Plagg agreed, his voice a jarring break in the gentle moment. "I'll come get you if he needs anything."

She'd brought work home from the La Fleur Fashions, the design house she'd joined before she even finished school. It was a small and highly exclusive house focused on women's evening wear, and while that was a bit limiting for her tastes, it paid well, and she enjoyed what she was doing. She'd made sure her contract allowed her to create her own designs so long as they weren't competing for the same market, for her online boutique. Lucky Bug provided mostly one-of-a kind or commission pieces, including daywear and menswear. "Are you sure you don't want me to bring my work in here?" she asked for what had to be the fifth time. 

Adrien's forehead scrunched up as he let out a huff.

"He would like to remind you that he's spent most of his twenty-three years coping on his own when he's ill," Plagg offered.

Adrien's eyes shot up as if he could see his kwami through his skull.

"He'll just feel guilty if you come out here," Plagg added. "No one has the whole guilt thing down like my kitten."

"Don't I know it," Marinette muttered, letting out a sigh and ignoring Adrien's indignant expression. "I promise, I'm happy to be here if it gives you any comfort, but I'm also not going to push. I definitely don't want you to feel more guilty about things that are basic human needs." That had been the first thing they'd had a serious talk about after moving in together. He was constantly apologizing and trying to avoid being a nuisance. "You are my best friend in the whole world," she insisted, brushing her thumb down his cheek.

"Ooooh," Plagg purred. "Better than Alya?"

"No contest," she replied, delighted by his response. 

He closed his eyes and melted against her hand.

"I am  **always** here for you," she promised. More than anything else in the world, he needed people who cared for him unconditionally, people who wouldn't turn their backs on him and leave him to languish in loneliness.

* * *

Adrien snapped his laptop closed. He was bored out of his mind and while he should have been happy to binge on Netflix, he was stupidly restless. The bright spots in his day had all involved Marinette, dear sweet Marinette, doting on him. He'd woken with a terrible sore throat from his allergies. He'd been able to easily identify it by the distinct characteristic that it felt like he'd tried to swallow a cactus (which he'd actually done once as Chat Noir, and would not recommend). His room mate, super partner, and all around best friend had been more kind to him in the first ten minutes than his father and Nathalie had been, combined, for all his sick days ever. His throat already felt better, but his voice would be gone for at least the rest of the day, but probably longer.

He clicked his tongue against his teeth and gently poked at Plagg, hoping to go for a run.

"No," Plagg grumbled. "We are not going out as Chat Noir today unless there's an akuma." His words were accompanied by tiny feet stomping on Adrien's head. "The  **Guardian** wants you to rest."

Adrien's groan came out as more of a whine thanks to his irritated vocal cords.

"I get that you're fidgety, Kid," Plagg sounded a touch more compassionate. "But she's the boss, and she's right."

Adrien pouted. It was incredibly unfair that his kwami was so affectionate toward Marinette, yielding to her requests with no need of bribery. His frustration was disrupted by a delighted squeal from Marinette's room.

"Woo hoo!" She sounded giddy, and like she was trying to keep her enthusiasm toned down.

Adrien grinned. She was probably doing that full body wiggle that she did when she was super happy and excited. He opened his mouth to call to her, then remembered he couldn't.

"What are you celebrating in there, Pigtails?" Plagg called. He had almost as many nicknames for Marinette as Adrien did.

"This new dress is  **so** awesome," Marinette replied. "I  **love** it when I nail it on one of these. Monique is gonna love this one."

Adrien snorted. Monique loved pretty much all of Marinette's designs. It hadn't escaped his notice that the head designer and founder of La Fleur was asking more and more of her junior employee. She was clearly coming to Marinette when the stakes were highest, though being the humble person she was, Marinette hadn't noticed this herself.

Adrien waved his hand above his head, frantically trying to get Plagg's attention. He wanted to see that dress. He loved it when Marinette gave him his own private fashion shows. They were his own guilty pleasure, and admittedly featured strongly in his daydreams.

"Yeah, yeah," Plagg muttered. "Hold your horses, Kid." He raised his voice to reach Marinette. "We get to see it, right?"

Marinette's head popped out from the tiny hall toward her bedroom. "You really want to see it?"

She looked so happy, and Adrien felt blessed having her bright eyes so intensely focused on him. He vigorously nodded, cupping his hands together in silent plea.

"It would be rude to leave us hanging," Plagg added.

She disappeared with a giggle. "Okay. Just a minute."

Adrien settled back into the couch, grinning like an idiot and vigorously rubbing his forearms to shed some of his excess energy. A new evening dress. He wondered if it would be cute or elegant, or something else entirely. Since they'd been living together he'd seen her create the gamut of evening dresses, from sweet things for teen starlets, to flirty numbers, to luxurious and sophisticated pieces sought by A-listers. And what color might it be? She'd done everything, though she preferred not to go with black unless it had accents because she felt there tended to be too much weight on basic black. The people wearing her works of art were guaranteed to stand out.

He tried not to pay attention to the sounds of zippers and the swishing of fabric. He was a model for goodness' sake. He could handle having a gorgeous woman change nearby without blowing a gasket.

"These shoes aren't quite right," Marinette cautioned, breaking him out of his little spiral.

"Yeah, yeah," Plagg replied. "It's all about the dress. We got it, Princess."

Adrien couldn't hold back the hiss when his kwami dared use his personal nickname for her.

Plagg merely snickered as he floated off Adrien's hair to land on the back of the couch.

Adrien scowled and batted Plagg off his perch. His death glare seemed to have no effect on the cackling little beast. He felt himself gathering for a pounce when the sound of heels on the wood floor announced Marinette's impending arrival. Freezing, he curled his lip one last time in warning before slowly and intentionally easing himself back into his reclined position.

Marinette sauntered into the room, treating it as her own personal runway. Sashay, sashay. Pause and pose. Quarter turn, pose. He could practically hear the drill he'd walked her through when he'd taught her runway basics. She may not have had real training, because his tutoring had hardly been anything, but she totally killed it, and Adrien was pretty sure his soul left his body the moment he got a good look at her.

The dress was a stunning sleeveless number in a magenta to midnight blue ombre with an overlay of tulle to give the fabric depth and movement without too much weight. The neckline dropped into a gorgeous V ending at her sternum. The skirting had a slit at the front that crept high enough to flash pretty much all over her amazingly toned leg.

She moved to her final pose, directly in front of him, a sultry little smirk on her lips. It was a good thing he was already sitting down, because the wink she threw him would have definitely killed him. She was so amazingly beautiful and talented. Even if his voice had been working, he would have had no words for her now.

After a moment, she relaxed her pose, giggling as she looked down at the dress. "I have to say, this is one of my best."

Adrien nodded vigorously in agreement..

She let out a happy sigh. "What do you think?"

Adrien opened his mouth for a moment, but found himself shutting it again with a little head shake. He still didn't have words, even ones he could silently mouth to her.

"NettieBug," Plagg said smoothly, darting up to float in front of her. "I can answer honestly for the Kid here when I tell you that you're hot as fuck."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plagg continues "helping" Adrien out, by speaking the words that his laryngitis prevent him from uttering.

Had Plagg been anyone else, Marinette would have laughed off his words, probably turned the shade of a Braeburn and moved on. She was used to being teased about Adrien and her completely hopeless attraction to him. Their friends were terribly mean about it, to be honest.

But Plagg, for all his shenanigans, didn't tease her this way. He was a painfully direct and honest individual, always keen to cut to the point of a matter so he could move on to something more interesting, usually involving cheese or snuggles. She could also see the exact moment Adrien's brain went all blue screen of death on him, cutting out the barely audible squeal of protest that his vocal cords managed to create. And then it was clear his brain had rebooted as  **his** face that went the color of her supersuit and his eyes goggled in horror. Frankly it was quite the look. Not something you'd see in one of his photo shoots, to be sure, but he somehow managed to not look any less attractive. Ugh. Stupid adorable boys. Still, she felt a little bad for him. She knew that feeling all too well.

She sniffed and tossed her head, channeling her best Chloe impersonation to send her hair flying. "Tsk." She spun, playing with how the skirting whirled to show off one leg after the other. "Put your eyeballs back in your head, Kitty," she said airily. "It's not like you haven't seen sexy dresses."

Plagg circled back to land on Adrien's head, fluffing his hair nest further. "Pfft, yeah," Plagg agreed. "We've seen  **more** than a few." He smirked. "But none were on you… Buggaboo," he drawled

Adrien slapped his hand down on Plagg, pressing the being of destruction to his scalp, until said being decided to phase through his holder's hand.

"He doesn't like it when I use his nicknames, even if I'm speaking for him," Plagg noted with a shrug. "It's a territorial cat thing. Just don't mind our little hissy fits."

She shook her head at their antics. "My supersuit is like a second skin and I run around in just that all the time." Fortunately she'd already been comfortable with the suit by the time she realized how little it concealed despite its full coverage. "You know what I look like."

"Eh, there's something very different about seeing your actual skin," Plagg pointed out, earning another swat from Adrien. "I gotta say, I don't get it, but I know that's a thing. A very human… thing." He smirked in a way no real cat ever had.

"All right," Marinette said. It was time to let up on her partner. "I'm going to go change and then I'll get dinner started." She reached out and tapped Adrien's nose. "And no you may not help, I'm taking care of you, remember? But you can pick a movie for us."

"Already got one in mind," Plagg assured her, and Adrien's expression backed that statement up.

"Got any requests for the menu tonight?" she asked as she turned toward her room.

"Four cheese ravioli with a parmesan cream sauce," Plagg suggested.

There was no way Adrien wanted that. He liked cheese a normal amount, unlike his kwami.

"Oooh!" Plagg cried. "Do you think you could make broccoli cheese soup with limberger?"

* * *

Adrien felt absolutely spoiled. He'd managed to shove aside the earlier embarrassment over Plagg's entirely too honest commentary; his father had taught him how to compartmentalize like it was an olympic sport. It was probably not healthy, but it was definitely helpful in this situation. Regardless, he managed to pretend it hadn't happened while Marinette made dinner, setting things up so he could stay on the couch rather than eating at the table. She wouldn't even let him help set up the living room, adjusting the furniture while he was in the loo.

Fortunately she'd caved to Plagg's suggestion that they sit together on the couch. Nothing made him feel better than having her nearby. Ladybug and Chat Noir were pretty tactile, it came from the need to toss and catch each other off and over the tallest buildings and bizarre monsters of Paris. It also gave them that little reassurance that they weren't alone when things got really ugly. Outside of the suits they were close friends, often mistaken for a couple, and in the privacy of their apartment they could ignore the social rules that said they had to behave a certain way. Around age sixteen he'd learned that he had classic symptoms, and the perfect home set up, for being touch starved. His friends had been happy to help with that, and no one snuggled quite like Marinette. Except Ladybug, of course, who was still Marinette even if he was the only one who knew that.

After dinner, he put his plate on the side table and slouched down, leaning against his best friend's shoulder. It wasn't too much longer before she set aside her dishes and wrapped her arm around him. Her fingers slipped into his hair, gliding over his scalp in that way they'd both learned he loved. He smiled, utterly content as he felt his body relax fully against her. He didn't even pretend to fight the low rumble in his chest. His purr was barely audible with his laryngitis, but he knew she could feel the vibration when she gave him a little extra squeeze. She loved his purr, and had been quick to squash any embarrassment it caused him. Plagg seemed to think she went out of her way to make him feel comfortable and appreciated for who he was, but Adrien suspected she'd do the same for anyone. She was just that sweet.

Slowly, to avoid disrupting her fingers, he rubbed his face against her shoulder in exactly the way a cat would nuzzle up against someone they liked. He felt her giggle more than he heard it, and it only encouraged him. He scootched a little closer, burrowing his face into her neck and embracing the emotional warmth elicited by the touch of her skin on his.

"Does my kitty need cuddles?" she asked, her low soft voice inspiring goosebumps down his back and arms.

Regular hugs and cuddles, whenever he needed them, were one of his favorite parts of living with Marinette. She was willing to set aside anything to give him a hug, even if it was quick with a more enduring follow up when she was done with whatever he'd interrupted. And she seemed to know when he needed the physical contact almost better than he did. He slipped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck again.

She let out a happy sounding hum. "I know it's been a rough day for you Adrien." The hand that wasn't in his hair gathered him closer, overlapping her body with his. "But now that my dress for La Fleur is done, I'm totally free tomorrow. We can have a little home spa treatment, play some video games together, and if you're feeling up to it we can go out for a run. Sound good?"

"That sounds perfect," Plagg replied from his perch on the back of the couch.

Adrien couldn't possibly agree more. Spending the whole day with her, just relaxing and having fun, it was his favorite way to spend time. She'd given him so many happy moments and memories to counter the unhappiness and loneliness his father had instilled in him. He gave her a gentle squeeze, loving the way it felt to hold her. In a moment of cat inspired insanity, he stretched up to rub his jaw against hers. His scent mingled with hers on her skin, and he had no idea why he loved that, but he really really did.

"Speaking for the Kid, here," Plagg said, calling Adrien back from his moment of bliss where he'd lost all awareness beyond Marinette. "So, can we make out now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live! I'm still not quite back into a writing schedule, what with us all at home (and everyone else on summer break), but I feel like that's shifting finally. I have so much to catch up on.

**Author's Note:**

> I suspect this will need one more chapter to be truly satisfying.
> 
> Apologies for being so absent. I'm still herding kids and managing the household while we are all safe at home for a few more weeks (I can not wait for school to end!). I'm trying to fit in writing where I can, but often don't have the energy.


End file.
